Steeling a Dream
Part 1: Diamonds of Steele
Part 1: Diamonds of Steele
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Steele Holting On
Steeling a Dream
Part 1: Diamonds of Steele
Part 1: Diamonds of Steele
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Steele Holting On
Chapter 23 Deception
The limousine picked up Laura at precisely nine o’clock in the evening. Five minutes into the drive, the
car phone rang. “Hello?”
“Buchanan here. O’Callaghan took the bait. He made the call ten minutes after the money came
through. Our agent here intercepted it and we’re moving in for the arrest. You’re cleared for the meet.”
“I’m on it.” Laura leaned back against the seat, soothing her own nerves by thinking through the
possibilities. Buchanan had given her a photo of Carlisle and a map of the restaurant which she studied
on the flight. Deliberately, she left both on the plane. If Remington found them at Daniel’s flat, he
would be furious. She still wasn’t sure how she was going to explain this to him.
She winced slightly as she shifted her wedding ring to the opposite hand. It matched the long ruby
chandeliers that Remington gave her last Christmas and currently adorned her ears. With her hair coiffed
under the hat, her neck was bare, drawing attention to her elegant throat.
The limo halted at the front door of the restaurant. Wearing the same red dress from a week ago, Laura
angled her hat and let the doorman assist her from the car. She strolled through, turning every head in
the place. Carlisle was sitting at a large table at the back along with four other men. She deliberately
caught his eye as she perched on a bar stool and then turned her back to him and ordered a drink.
It took only five minutes for the waiter to appear with a glass of champagne “from the gentleman at the
table over there.” Laura accepted it and pretended to sip it. She turned around and caught Carlisle’s
eye, giving him a mock toast. He shot her a sly grin.
Minutes later, one of his henchmen invited her to the table, but Laura shook her head. “I don’t sit at the
table of men I don’t know. But I’d love to have him join me.”
The lackey was surprised but returned to the table. Moments later, Carlisle took a seat next to Laura.
She gave him the expected once-over out of the corner of her eye before turning to face him fully. He
was taller than she expected, nearly Remington’s height, with blue-grey eyes and dark hair. In a
melodious British accent, she flirted, “Thanks for the drink.”
“My pleasure. You’re a beautiful woman. How is it that someone as beautiful as you is all alone
tonight?”
Laura nearly choked. Couldn’t he have come up with a better line? “Perhaps because I have someone
to meet.”
“And who might that be?”
“You, Johnny.” She said it with a flirtatious smile.
Now Carlisle frowned. He hadn’t told her his name. “You know who I am?”
“Of course, Johnny. And I’ve got information for you.”
“Who are you?”
She ignored the question. “O’Callaghan’s got hold of some money--quite a bit, in fact, and he ordered a
hit on you thirty minutes ago. Interpol intercepted the call and they’ve already arrested him--in Cork I
think. Seems he stirred up a bit of trouble along the way. I hope your books are clean, because his aren’
t.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“A girl’s got to make a living somehow.”
“Who do you work for?”
“Me.”
“You’re telling me that you just thought I should have this little ‘tidbit’ of information?”
“Sure. But if you’re not interested, that’s fine by me. I know the rules. I get the information and share
it with those that might benefit. If you like what I tell you, I get paid and I forget all about whatever I
just told you.”
Carlisle shoved away from the bar and dug in his jacket pocket. He slipped out several large pound notes
and dropped them next to Laura’s champagne glass. She fanned them out and waited.
He dropped three more on the pile. She smiled and folded them up, tucking them into her pocket as she
slid off the barstool. “Nice doing business with you, Johnny.”
“You never told me your name.”
“Call me Mickey. Because I won’t remember this conversation in the morning.” She flashed him a wide
smile and strolled out of the restaurant.
Johnny Carlisle swore as he watched her strut out the door and get into the waiting limousine. He
motioned to one of his men to follow her.
The limo dropped her off two miles from the restaurant. She walked into the front of one bar and out
the back to a waiting black car. There she took a call from Buchanan in which he told her that O’
Callaghan had been arrested on a laundry list of charges, starting with attempted murder and kidnapping.
Her eyes were bright with unshed tears as the car pulled away.
When the driver was sure she wasn’t being followed, he took her to Daniel’s flat.
Chapter 24 -- Friends
The limousine picked up Laura at precisely nine o’clock in the evening. Five minutes into the drive, the
car phone rang. “Hello?”
“Buchanan here. O’Callaghan took the bait. He made the call ten minutes after the money came
through. Our agent here intercepted it and we’re moving in for the arrest. You’re cleared for the meet.”
“I’m on it.” Laura leaned back against the seat, soothing her own nerves by thinking through the
possibilities. Buchanan had given her a photo of Carlisle and a map of the restaurant which she studied
on the flight. Deliberately, she left both on the plane. If Remington found them at Daniel’s flat, he
would be furious. She still wasn’t sure how she was going to explain this to him.
She winced slightly as she shifted her wedding ring to the opposite hand. It matched the long ruby
chandeliers that Remington gave her last Christmas and currently adorned her ears. With her hair coiffed
under the hat, her neck was bare, drawing attention to her elegant throat.
The limo halted at the front door of the restaurant. Wearing the same red dress from a week ago, Laura
angled her hat and let the doorman assist her from the car. She strolled through, turning every head in
the place. Carlisle was sitting at a large table at the back along with four other men. She deliberately
caught his eye as she perched on a bar stool and then turned her back to him and ordered a drink.
It took only five minutes for the waiter to appear with a glass of champagne “from the gentleman at the
table over there.” Laura accepted it and pretended to sip it. She turned around and caught Carlisle’s
eye, giving him a mock toast. He shot her a sly grin.
Minutes later, one of his henchmen invited her to the table, but Laura shook her head. “I don’t sit at the
table of men I don’t know. But I’d love to have him join me.”
The lackey was surprised but returned to the table. Moments later, Carlisle took a seat next to Laura.
She gave him the expected once-over out of the corner of her eye before turning to face him fully. He
was taller than she expected, nearly Remington’s height, with blue-grey eyes and dark hair. In a
melodious British accent, she flirted, “Thanks for the drink.”
“My pleasure. You’re a beautiful woman. How is it that someone as beautiful as you is all alone
tonight?”
Laura nearly choked. Couldn’t he have come up with a better line? “Perhaps because I have someone
to meet.”
“And who might that be?”
“You, Johnny.” She said it with a flirtatious smile.
Now Carlisle frowned. He hadn’t told her his name. “You know who I am?”
“Of course, Johnny. And I’ve got information for you.”
“Who are you?”
She ignored the question. “O’Callaghan’s got hold of some money--quite a bit, in fact, and he ordered a
hit on you thirty minutes ago. Interpol intercepted the call and they’ve already arrested him--in Cork I
think. Seems he stirred up a bit of trouble along the way. I hope your books are clean, because his aren’
t.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“A girl’s got to make a living somehow.”
“Who do you work for?”
“Me.”
“You’re telling me that you just thought I should have this little ‘tidbit’ of information?”
“Sure. But if you’re not interested, that’s fine by me. I know the rules. I get the information and share
it with those that might benefit. If you like what I tell you, I get paid and I forget all about whatever I
just told you.”
Carlisle shoved away from the bar and dug in his jacket pocket. He slipped out several large pound notes
and dropped them next to Laura’s champagne glass. She fanned them out and waited.
He dropped three more on the pile. She smiled and folded them up, tucking them into her pocket as she
slid off the barstool. “Nice doing business with you, Johnny.”
“You never told me your name.”
“Call me Mickey. Because I won’t remember this conversation in the morning.” She flashed him a wide
smile and strolled out of the restaurant.
Johnny Carlisle swore as he watched her strut out the door and get into the waiting limousine. He
motioned to one of his men to follow her.
The limo dropped her off two miles from the restaurant. She walked into the front of one bar and out
the back to a waiting black car. There she took a call from Buchanan in which he told her that O’
Callaghan had been arrested on a laundry list of charges, starting with attempted murder and kidnapping.
Her eyes were bright with unshed tears as the car pulled away.
When the driver was sure she wasn’t being followed, he took her to Daniel’s flat.
Chapter 24 -- Friends